Success Revisited
Christopher B. Harbin
Matthew 5:1-12
What does success look like for us? On one hand, it may differ greatly from one person to the next. As a whole, however, on a national or societal scale, we have some pretty definite ideas of what success means, what it looks like. We define success as becoming wealthy. We define success as gaining fame. We define success as being a recognized leader in one's field of work. We define success as rising from one social level into a higher one. We define success as hitting a desired target, achieving a specific goal. When it comes to Christianity, what does success look like? Is it about making it into heaven, or is it about something more in the world around us?
Success is that which we celebrate. It is what we lean into. It is what we work toward. It is an aim we seek to attain. Achieving success, we may settle for the win, but most often we raise our aim to seek further success. It is not so much an arrival at a destination. It is more often a moving goal for which we continue to strive, whether it is to achieve another mark or to retain our accomplishment. In today's passage, Jesus lays out what success looks like in the Reign of the Heavens. These are the values of God's reign. They are the goals for which we are to strive day after day until reaching them becomes second nature. They are the hallmarks of what should bring us joy, fulfillment, and purpose.
While I would love to know what else Jesus said around these bullet points, Matthew considers these as the heart of what Jesus was teaching. Matthew's condensation of the Sermon on the Mount takes about 15 minutes to read aloud. Doubtless, Jesus had a lot more to say than the few words recorded here. These are just the high-points Matthew found most necessary to record. They shape the foundational values of the Reign of the Heavens Jesus was preaching. They tell us what we should be seeking and working toward as ...
Christopher B. Harbin
Matthew 5:1-12
What does success look like for us? On one hand, it may differ greatly from one person to the next. As a whole, however, on a national or societal scale, we have some pretty definite ideas of what success means, what it looks like. We define success as becoming wealthy. We define success as gaining fame. We define success as being a recognized leader in one's field of work. We define success as rising from one social level into a higher one. We define success as hitting a desired target, achieving a specific goal. When it comes to Christianity, what does success look like? Is it about making it into heaven, or is it about something more in the world around us?
Success is that which we celebrate. It is what we lean into. It is what we work toward. It is an aim we seek to attain. Achieving success, we may settle for the win, but most often we raise our aim to seek further success. It is not so much an arrival at a destination. It is more often a moving goal for which we continue to strive, whether it is to achieve another mark or to retain our accomplishment. In today's passage, Jesus lays out what success looks like in the Reign of the Heavens. These are the values of God's reign. They are the goals for which we are to strive day after day until reaching them becomes second nature. They are the hallmarks of what should bring us joy, fulfillment, and purpose.
While I would love to know what else Jesus said around these bullet points, Matthew considers these as the heart of what Jesus was teaching. Matthew's condensation of the Sermon on the Mount takes about 15 minutes to read aloud. Doubtless, Jesus had a lot more to say than the few words recorded here. These are just the high-points Matthew found most necessary to record. They shape the foundational values of the Reign of the Heavens Jesus was preaching. They tell us what we should be seeking and working toward as ...
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